Saturday, December 01, 2007

Rule Two

Clyde, North Carolina - A Waynesville man accidentally fired gun rounds through his hand, his leg and a nearby trailer in Clyde on Tuesday night, according to a Canton Police report. A resident in Clyde told Canton and Clyde police officers he was awakened by a gunshot that pierced his bedroom wall between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., the report stated. Investigators found a truck parked 30 yards north of the man’s trailer with a spent .45 shell inside and drops of blood leading from the vehicle to another trailer, according to the report.

Officers went to the home of the man who was the registered owner of the truck in Waynesville and discovered he had gunshot wounds to his hand and leg, according to the report. After medical crews took him to the hospital, the man told officers that he accidentally pulled the gun’s trigger and shot himself in the hand while trying to grab the weapon from his truck’s passenger seat, the report stated. He jumped out of the truck and attempted to put the gun in his back right pocket, causing the gun to fire again into his right leg. He then dropped the gun near a creek and went to a friend’s house nearby and he was later taken back to his home in Waynesville, according to the report.

Now I'm sure there are some who will speculate this man was intoxicated. There are others who might speculate he never received proper training. There are even those who would speculate he did not own a holster......I think that might be a bit more likely. One thing that is as certain as Saturn is inhospitable is this idiot grabbed a pistol from the passenger seat of his truck with the muzzle pointing at himself.

Hell, this story invites speculation, so I may as well speculate too..... $10 says the pistol in question was a cocked and locked 1911 that became a cocked and unlocked 1911 while bouncing around on Billy Bob's truck seat while he was roaring down the pot holed dirt road to his trailer. A bonus $5 say Billy Bob had a sticker of Calvin taking a piss on the back glass. Next, Billy Bob got out of the truck, remembered his pistol, and reached across the driver's seat to pull it towards him muzzle first. The cocked and unlocked 1911 trigger caught on the seat belt, or other assorted crap in Billy Bob's truck, causing it to be pulled back, and the pistol fired the first shot. Billy Bob was fortunate he did not buy those 44" mud tires last month, or he might not have fired the second.

The second shot can not be excused simply because Billy Bob's head was still spinning from the first. Billy Bob did not lock the thumb safety. Instead he either tried to place the pistol in his pocket with his finger on the trigger, or a corner of his wallet caught and pressed the trigger as he was shoving the pistol in the pocket. If Billy Bob had trained with his 1911 enough, the relocking of the thumb safety would have been instinctual. If he had any safety rules ingrained in his brain at all, Billy Bob would have walked around his pick-up truck and removed the weapon by the grip, not the muzzle. The first shot never would have occured.

I commend the writer of this story for not claiming the pistol "accidentally went off". Some folks say there are two types of gun owners......Those that have had negligent discharges, and those who will have negligent discharges. I'm not going to argue that. The idea is one that keeps those who subscribe to it safe, and that's OK by me. I will go farther though........There are also those gun owners who will never have, or who will never again have a negligent discharge. The accomplishment of that goal is not difficult. Remove negligence from the equation.

I'd still buy the 1911, just that Billy Bob was holding the gun in one hand while shooting himself in the other, and then shot himself in the leg as he shoved the pistol in his pocket with his finger on the trigger.

My guess..... there was another party involved and a 'discussion' over the pistol was taking place.

What about a significant other in whose hand the grip was in, a lover's spat seasoned with spirits, and a defensive wound through the hand (and maybe the leg with the same shot unless there were 2 spent casings found instead of 1)?

After the shot(s) everyone sobered up real quick and ran to the trailer hoping no one the wiser and no hospitalization needed? The round going through the neighbor's bedroom trashed that plan.

Oh well, just quick speculation without having read the original material.

Glocks are just fine for beginners. They just have no place in the hands of idiots, much like most other firearms.

If you follow the three NRA safety rules, even with a Glock, you aren't going to have any problems. Regardless of the model, it's impossible to shoot yourself if you follow gun rule #1: Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.

On another note, I might point out that the theory that there are "Those that have had negligent discharges, and those who will have negligent discharges" isn't really intended as a statement of fact. It's better viewed as a philosophy to abide by to remember how easy it is to become complacent. The same basic philosophy is thrown out a lot on motorcycle forums (i.e. You've either dropped your bike, or you will).

Both statements serve as reminders that decades of safe use of a product are not a shield from misuse. Deep down, everyone is just one flaky moment away from doing something stupid. Only with constant vigilance, or a degree of luck that I know I don't possess, can that flaky moment be avoided.

In the computer field we say, "THe only to make somthing foolproof is keep it from the fools." Guess this sorts tranlates to firearms as well... Oh, I know what he was trying to do, get nominated for the Darwin Awards by removing himself from the gene pool. Sadly I'll bet the weapon will be destroyed because of this a$$. [sigh]

Re: Negligent Discharges - Mine involved a Ruger 10-22 I bought from a neighbor. I sat on my couch with my new aquisition, removed the magazine, raised the rile a couple of times to check the sight picture against the white refridgerator two rooms away and then squeezed the trigger. I was completely shocked when a horrendous bang filled the small apartment and a gray perforation appeared in the freezer door. I covered the new vent with a strip of electrical tape and a magnet. I moved a short time later. I learned about gun handling from that...

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Xavier is a Registered Nurse who specialized in complex wound care. He has practiced for over fourteen years in his community. He often provided nursing service in areas where law enforcement refused to enter without back-up. Xavier now works in surgery.
Xavier has been an avid shooter for over 30 years. He strongly supports the 2nd Amendment, opposes gun control of any sort, and carries a weapon 24 hours a day.
Xavier is known on various internet gun forums as XavierBreath. He is married with three children, and is moderated by an apathetic one eyed cat, a goofy Golden Retriever, and a stalwart German Shepherd Dog. One day, he hopes to be deserving of them all.

Domari Nolo

Xavier can still be emailed at
treatmewithbenignneglect@gmail.com
He might read your email.
He might delete it on sight.
He might publish it and comment on it.

The Five Rules of Concealed Carry
1. Your concealed handgun is for protection of life only.
2. Know exactly when you can use your gun.
3. If you can run away -- RUN!
4. Display your gun, be prepared to go to jail.
5. Don't let your emotions get the best of you.